When it comes to pushing Thin Mints, Samoas, Tagalongs and Do-si-dos, there’s one customer base that stands above the rest, one unlikely demographic of cookie monsters, who girl scouts can count on to be hungry, who they can rely on to spend big on snacks: the stoners.
Unfortunately, up until this year, the Girl Scouts of Colorado had a ban on their girls slinging treats in front of “adult-oriented businesses.” It wasn’t moral, they argued, for these girls to be peddling snacks to the dregs of society, wasn’t ethical to let these youngsters capitalize on the munchies of such degenerates.
Well, no more. That ban was recently lifted. And for girl scouts, selling cookies has never been easier or more lucrative. They’re parking outside of pot shops and their cookies are flying off the tables faster than they can say Mary Jane.
It’s all about tactical situation, positioning yourself in the right place at the right time: put your cookies in front of the right customers and they will sell themselves. It’s entrepreneurship at its finest.
“They’re aware of why this is such a good idea,” says troop leader Nicole Harmon, with a chuckle. Her daughter, Serenity Christensen, has teamed up with the female run and operated dispensary, the Smoking Gun Apothecary, at 492 South Colorado Blvd in Glendale, and on Friday the 8th, her and her mom will be out front and open for business. Serenity is working hard to sell these cookies in order to earn a college scholarship, to broaden her horizons and open up opportunities in the future; and every pot patron who stops outside the dispensary to buy some sweet treats is moving her one step closer to that goal.
“We are all about helping young female entrepreneurs and Serenity was totally willing and super excited to do it,” says the owner of Smoking Gun Apothecary, Lindsey Mintz. “So, we are excited to give her that opportunity. I think it's going to be awesome for her.”
Not only will this be awesome for Serenity, but it will be awesome for the Smoking Gun’s customers as well. While she’s outside hawking cookies, the dispensary will be offering $6 single gram joints inside for anyone who buys a box of Serenity’s goodies.
“It’s a win for everybody,” Mintz says, a match made in marijuana heaven.
Serenity Christensen, shows off some girl scout pride. Photo credit: Nicole Harmon.
The ban on selling girl scout cookies outside adult-oriented businesses in Colorado was lifted in large part because so many people wanted to sell cookies at breweries. Girl Scouts and troop leaders contended that, at grocery stores people are often coming and going so quickly and they’re already buying food, that it can sometimes be difficult to move product. At breweries, however, they would be able to sell a lot more since people are hanging out, since they aren’t shopping for food already, and (naturally) since they’re feeling a little boozy.
The Girl Scouts of Colorado weighed the ethics of that proposal against the potential profits and couldn’t deny the point their girls were making: there was a lot of easy money ripe for the pickins’ out there.
So, they lifted the ban and opened the doors for a new era of cookie capitalism.
“Now we can sell outside dispensaries, bars, liquor stores, breweries, strip clubs, you name it,” says Harmon. Anywhere they think they’ll sell cookies, these scouts can set up shop, regardless of the nature of the business.
Opportunity has never been so abundant for these budding young business ladies.
When that ban was lifted on February 5th of this year, these girl scouts (who apparently understand the munchie mechanisms of cannabis use) wasted no time in exploiting their new demographic. They’ve been flocking to dispos, like the Smoking Gun in an attempt to corner the market — though, Serenity’s dual-deal with Smoking Gun is notably unique.
It’s a fine lesson in business these young entrepreneurs are learning at an early age.
“Whatever we can do to support and encourage female entrepreneurship, we're all about it,” says Mintz.
Leave a Reply